WRITTEN QUESTION No. 865/96 by Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE to the Commission. Compensation for loss of the rice market as a result of enlargement
Date: 1996-04-12
Institutions: ARIAS CANETE, European Parliament
Subjects: EU market, GATT, Thailand, accession to the European Union, commodities market, import licence, market access, rice, tariff quota, third country













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91996E0865

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 865/96 by Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE to the Commission. Compensation for loss of the rice market as a result of enlargement  


Official Journal C 305 , 15/10/1996 P. 0023 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0865/96 by Miguel Arias Cañete (PPE) to the Commission (12 April 1996)Subject: Compensation for loss of the rice market as a result of enlargementThe Commission is considering ways of guaranteeing access to Community markets for rice from third countries on the basis of their exports to the three new Member States during the reference period at zero or reduced tariff rates.Since these concessions could seriously disadvantage Community importers, could the Commission answer the following questions?Is it intending to grant these import quotas on a permanent basis? Is it intending to submit this measure to the EU Council of Ministers for its approval?What action is it intending to take to ensure that the beneficiary countries are not able under any circumstances to impose unfair prices on Community importers above public market levels in any of the exporter countries which are traditionally allocated part of the quota?Does the Commission think that the rice quota should be allocated on the basis of a system similar to that used in the COM in bananas, i.e. by granting import licences to companies which have sold a certain quantity of Community rice to the final distribution network?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (10 May 1996)The Commission entered into negotiations in the framework of Article XXIV.6 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) (compensation for the accession of the three new Member States), concluding agreements in the rice sector with the United States, Australia and Thailand. These agreements, approved by the Council in Regulation 3093/95 of 22 December 1995 ((OJ L 334, 30.12.1995. )), introduced from 1 January 1996:- an annual import quota of 63 000 tonnes of wholly milled or semi-milled rice at zero duty and,- a quota of 20 000 tonnes of husked rice at a fixed rate of duty of ECU 88 per tonne.Furthermore, in the framework of negotiations with Thailand for the suspension of consultations under Article XXIII of the GATT, it was agreed to open an annual quota of 80 000 tonnes of broken rice with a reduction of ECU 28 per tonne in import duty. The Council Regulation approving this agreement has not yet been published.The Commission has prepared a draft regulation for the management of these quotas which has been submitted to a group of experts from the management committee for an initial exchange of views. This regulation, while taking account of traditional suppliers, will spread the quotas throughout the year to avoid jeopardizing sales of Community rice. It does not provide for the granting of import licences to be made conditional upon the purchase of a certain quantity of Community rice. Such action, or any condition relating to entry price, would have been considered by the international partners as detrimental to the concessions obtained and approved by the Council.